The WA Government has launched a $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package to assist eligible businesses and individuals in sectors most affected by the decision to delay the full reopening of WA’s borders.
The package includes nine support programs for the international education, tourism, aviation and events sectors.
Support for international education
International students and international education providers will be supported by:
- $6 million Industry Support Program to assist eligible small and medium-sized education providers impacted by the closure of international borders;
- $8 million Student Quarantine Support Program - $2,000 payments available to assist international students with quarantine-related costs studying at Western Australian education institutions in Semester 1, 2022; and
- $2 million University Services for Student Support Programs - providing a supplementary $500 payment to universities for affected international students to deliver support services.
Support for tourism
Tourism support, with eligible businesses to have a choice of applying for either the:
- $20 million Tourism Support Program - to provide assistance of $10,000 to sole traders and $20,000 to employing businesses to offset expenses incurred in preparation for the initially scheduled full border opening; and
- $15 million Tourism Deposit Refund Program - to provide assistance of up to $50,000 to eligible tourism businesses that have refunded deposits from some cancelled interstate and international bookings.
Other tourism and travel-related support includes:
- $10 million boost to the existing Aviation Recovery Fund as part of the Reconnect WA package – taking the total in this fund to $75 million; and
- $3 million Travel Agent Support Fund – offering grants of up to $10,000 for eligible home-bases businesses and $20,000 grants to eligible brick-and-mortar businesses.
Support for events
Eligible event organisers and suppliers will also receive support, including:
- $10 million extension and expansion of the Getting the Show Back on the Road Program – to cover up to 75 per cent of lost ticket sales where a WA Government mandate directly requires an event to be cancelled; self-cancelled events linked to the border delay decision; and eligible substantially scaled back events that proceed; and
- $3 million Event Suppliers Support Program – providing payments to eligible event suppliers for ticketed events with $10,000 grants for sole traders, $20,000 to small businesses and $50,000 to large businesses with pre-COVID annual turnover of more than $1 million.
Applications for these programs will open soon.
